An 11-year-old girl with leukemia whose mother removed her from a hospital while she still had a catheter in her heart is 'getting better,' according to her mother.

'She's happy. She's getting better,' Emily Bracamontes' mother told NBC's Today Show in her first interview since she removed Emily from Phoenix Children's Hospital so she could take her to Mexico to continue her care.

Emily had been receiving chemotherapy at Phoenix Children's Hospital for a month when her mother Norma removed an IV drip from her arm, changed her clothes and walked her out of the facility two weeks ago.

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Speaking out: 11-year-old Emily Bracamontes, who is sick with leukemia, says she's 'happy' her mother removed from a Phoenix hospital two weeks ago so she could continue her care in Mexico

'I'm happy that I'm going back home
to see my doctors in Mexico,' Emily, wearing a bright pink hat, told
NBC. 'My mom's only trying to save my life,' she added. 'She doesn't
want me to die in a hospital. So I was happy that she took that
decision.'

Concern: The father of 11-year-old Emily Bracamontes shows a picture of her in a hospital bed in Mexico

On the move: Leukemia patient Emily is seen with her mother on Phoenix Children's Hospital CCTV last Wednesday shortly before she disappeared

'We steadfastly disagree with the assertions brought forth regarding the
quality of care Emily recieved,' the hospital said in a statement.
'Emily's health and wellbeing continues to be our primary concern.'

The Phoenix police department said it hasn't verified any claims by the family against the hospital.

'We have been unable to verify anything the family has said regarding
medical treatment to Emily,' the police department said. 'The family has
been uncooperative.'

Mr Bracamontes, showing a cellphone picture of Emily in a Mexican hospital bed, told NBC: 'They [doctors] told my wife that she already had it [the infection]. That’s not true. Her arm was healthy.'

Emily's doctors in Phoenix believe that the catheter
placed in her heart could
cause a deadly infection if she is not returned to have it removed.

Following Emily's disappearance, Phoenix Police's Steve Martos said: 'If she contracts an infection, it really could just be a
matter of days that could result in the young girl's death. It's
pretty serious.'

Camera footage shows Mrs Bracamontes, 35,
pushing an IV stand through the hospital's hallways while her daughter,
whose bandaged arm is visible, can be seen following her.

Mrs. Bracamontes and Emily are U.S. citizens while Mr Bracamontes, also pictured, is a Mexican citizen with a U.S. resident alien identification card

'Kidnapper': Luis Bracamontes speaks from Mexico last week

Battling illness: Emily Bracamontes, pictured in hospital in the U.S., is now being cared for by doctors in Mexico

Mrs Bracamontes and Emily are U.S. citizens while Mr Bracamontes, 46, is a Mexican citizen with a U.S. resident alien identification card.

Mrs Bracamontes said she had no choice but to take her daughter from the hospital because her husband's insurance is running out. Mr Bracamontes said Phoenix Hospital was putting pressure on the family over rising medical bills.

The couple have not been charged with a crime so far but police said charges were still possible for negligence or abuse.

United States Customs and Border Patrol Officers stopped Luis Bracamontes as he tried to cross into America from Mexico on Saturday.

Putting a stop to treatment: Emily's mother removed a IV drip from a catheter in her heart and helped her change clothes before leading her out of the hospital

VIDEO: Caught on camera: Mom kidnaps sick daughter from hospital

The man was quizzed about the whereabouts of his daughter Emily, butdenied any involvement in her disappearance.

Police said that Mr Bracamontes was not driving the same black Ford van in which Emily left the hospital in when they stopped him.

They have described the family
as 'nomadic' and without a
permanent residence, but said they have relatives in Arizona, California
and Mexico.

Concerns: Doctors are worried Emily could die from an infection of the heart if the catheter is not medically removed